What Heals Us

Falls Creek, Book 2

By: Maggie Gates

Narrated by: Tor Thom, Savannah Peachwood

"Surely losing your virginity to a firefighter in a cabin getaway that was won at a fundraiser was against some fine-print bylaw in the town charter."
______________________

It all started with a list.

Ten resolutions for a new year, new me.

Or at least the me I thought I should be.

It was going all fine and dandy until I got snowed in with my friend’s brother.

Her much older brother. What happens in the cabin, stays in the cabin. Right?

Wrong.

When Austin Hale shows up on my doorstep, offering to help me with my list, I decide that I’d be crazy to say no. He’s new in town, and I’d rather not go on my journey of self-discovery alone.

We can do this as friends. Besides, he’s too old for me, and the two of us have enough baggage to fill an airplane.

Ten resolutions, and then we move on.

In my mind, the rules are clear. But my heart has plans of its own.

______________________
Welcome back to Falls Creek, North Carolina, where gossip is a way of life and meddling is a show of affection. What Heals Us is a small-town romance packed with heat and heart. Get ready to melt over hunky firefighter Austin Hale, and sweet kindergarten teacher, Caroline Tyree. This is book two in the Falls Creek series, but can be listened to as a standalone.

©2023 Maggie Gates (P)2024 Blue Nose Publishing

Loved Austin and Caroline

Audiobook Review:

If you love a cinnamon roll fireman, this is the book for you. When Austin moved to a different city to help support his sister he had no idea he would fall in love, especially with someone so young. Caroline just wants to be treated normal and not like she is going to break due to her chronic illness.

Their chemistry was perfection. Such a sweet story.

This book was narrated by Tor Thom and Savannah Peachwood. This was a perfect casting for Austin and Caroline.
They both did a great job with all the characters, and brought the book to life.

Thank you Maggie C. Gates and Blue Nose Audio for this ALC.

A lovely small town romance!

I am such a sucker for small town romances and I was impressed by this story! I love the dynamic between Austin and Caroline. Age gap is one of my favorite tropes and Maggie wrote it so well.

The narration was great! I love being able to be drawn into a story, to the point where I'm possibly skirting some responsibilities to keep listening. I really enjoyed how the two narrators voices meshed together.

I will definitely being going back to read book 1 and to continue this sweet series.

Fireman/Teacher SOLD

When Austin Hale moves to Falls Creek to be closer to his sister who is newly pregnant, he finds himself captivated over a young teacher in town, Caroline Tyree. Caroline has had a hard past, filled with a lot of health problems that has left her missing out on so many things. When Austin and Caroline connect during a local Dance he asks her what’s on her New Year’s resolutions list, she starts thinking and that night she makes herself a list. A list of firsts and of adventures, as well as little things to just live in the moment, and when Austin sees the list he has no doubt in his mind that he will be the one helping Caroline complete this list. I loved Austin and Caroline, and because I am a fire wife, I related to parts of this book through that lifestyle, and really enjoyed hearing about the calls they were on or the conversations they had at the station. Caroline is younger than Austin and I absolutely love an age gap romance and this one was done right. Caroline is mature and although maybe a little naive, she is open, honest and the two of them were able to have some real, raw conversations. This story takes you through some many twists and turns and has a bit of an edge with a mystery throughout the book and I was very intrigued. Austin is a manly man, someone who is there to help no matter what, a man that is going to shower you with compliments and affection and protect you and your heart. I fell hard for Austin and his job, his maturity and the way he was with Caroline. Tor Thom Narrated What Heals Us in dual with Savannah Peachwood and I thought they both did an incredible job. Tor has this deep voice that was perfect for Austin, he wasn’t grumpy or broody like so many times I have heard his voice he was uplifting and comforting and you could feel that through Tor’s voice. Savannah narrated Caroline beautifully showcasing her sweet and innocent personality voicing her soft and vulnerable yet passionate about the things she loves and enjoys. Throughout the story Savannah brought out the confident in the woman she was becoming and I loved hearing that part of Caroline come to life. Overall sweet beautiful story. I’m excited to hear the next book , What Saves Us.

Thank you Blue Nose Audio for the opportunity to listen and review.

What Heals Us

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️

What Heals Us is the second book in the Falls Creek series. This is an incredibly moving and steamy age gap story. Austin is Beth’s big brother. Beth is pregnant and asked her brother to come help her through this journey. Caroline is Beth’s best friend. Caroline is twenty two years old and just starting to experience life. She has had a late start to the normal childhood milestones: road trip, first kiss…. And several more. Caroline has always crushed on Austin. Austin comes back to Falls Creek and is attractive to Caroline but thinks she is way too good for him. They have such an amazing connection. I love their love story.

Savannah Peachwood and Tor Thom did a fantastic job narrating this book.

Austin and Carolines story!

Maggie Gates is a new to me author and I am not disappointed in the slightest. What Hurts Us is the second book of the Falls Creek Series. The books are all stand-alone within the series, and can be enjoyed individually, however there are recuring characters and some back stories you find.

Austin Hale is a firefighter second, and a big brother first. When he gets a call from his sister Beth one night crying and saying she is pregnant and the father is a married man, he does the only thing a good brother does, uproots his life and moves to take care of her. So far, his new life has been about Beth and his job, until he runs into Caroline Tyree, the towns kindergarten teacher. Caroline is 22 and just getting her life back on track after spending most of her life in and out of hospitals for lupus but was saved by an anonymous donor. There is an instant attraction between them but a lot standing in their way, or at least they think. One being their age, he is 13 years older than she is. Two, because of all her time in the hospital and recovery she is…unexperienced. Three, she is best friends with his sister. And four, they live in a small town, and you know what happens in small towns…GOSSIP.Both have spent enough time in the town’s eyes for other things, they don’t need to be there anymore. One weekend, they both show up at a BnB for a stay they each separately won in an auction, but wouldn’t you just know it, her cabin is having issues and there no more left and oh yeah there’s a snowstorm and they are snowed in. What happens at the cabin stays at the cabin…and a lot happened at the cabin.

I really loved this story, and one of my favorite parts was Caroline and her advocating for herself. Generally, I have grown kind of tired of the virgin stories, but Caroline said what I hoped most would say “I am a grown woman, I know my body and I want what I want”. She is such a strong female character and I loved her lust for life (and Austin;-) ). There is one scene where she is doing something as simple as getting a haircut, but to me it was a very powerful scene. Austin was looking for more a reason to stay then his sister, more than an obligation. Until he started seeing Caroline, he was just kind of existing in the town, he wasn’t living because it wasn’t permanent. These two were such great characters separately, but they made each other better. We do find out who the donor was for Caroline, and it was not at all who I suspected it to be. I love this little town and all the people in it, I can’t wait to see more of these two characters throughout the series.

What Hurts Us was narrated by Tor Thom and Savannah Peachwood. Both did such an excellent job bringing these characters to life both individually and together. Savannah has this young innocent sound to her voice, and then out of nowhere BAM! Sultry and sexy! She was the perfect voice for Caroline. Tor really brought Austin out of those pages. He has a voice that makes you feel safe, just like the character, but “behind closed doors” has that bedroom voice every woman dreams of hearing and every man dreams of having. I really loved these two and the did such a fantastic job bringing Maggie’s character and story to life.

This is hotter than your local fire department!

What happens in the cabin, stays at the cabin… riiight! Never! Especially in this small town! I love the new life this book got becoming an audio! From the dedication, to the last epilogue, this book is a winner.

I've fallen in love with Falls Creek!

What Heals Us is book #2 in the Falls Creek series. Austin and Caroline were introduced in book #1, so I was excited to get their story! Caroline is the hometown girl, beloved Kindergarten teacher, and a transplant survivor that is "babied" by EVERYONE! She's ready to live her own life. Austin is a firefighter that left his firehouse on the coast to be closer to his sister while she goes through a pregnancy on her own. Austin agrees to help Caroline complete her "resolution" list after checking off a couple while snowed-in at a cabin (YES!!!). The adventures, the slow-burn, the angst...I just loved both of these MCs. Ms. Gates gives us another heartwarming, steamy, small-town, age-gap, please take my v-card romance that deals with family issues, finding independence, and learning to love and protect equally. We also find out what's up with the anonymous kidney donor (totally surprised!) and the douchey baby daddy. There are so many aspects to this story that drew me in from start to finish. This was binge-worthy goodness. I can't wait for book #3!!

The narration was by two of my "one-click" favorites, Tor Thom and Savannah Peachwood. Tor Thom voiced the PERFECT burly firefighter Austin while Ms. Peachwood gave us the shy, a little awkward Caroline that finally finds her big girl voice! These two are 10/5 smoking stars for me.

Healing and so much more

I love a good age gap romance, and Austin and Caroline are no exception. 
Maggie teased us with glimpses of Austin Hale throughout the Poker Club Series and we finally get his story in What Heals Us. Austin has the bad habit of falling for the wrong women...or more like constantly being placed into the friend zone. He's determined to make a change when it comes to his relationships and moving to Falls Creek certainly gets the ball rolling. 
Caroline has been sheltered and shielded from most life events. Living with a chronic illness, especially in her teens and early adulthood has left her feeling so behind in so many aspects of life, especially relationships. She creates a New Year's Resolution list to push her out of her comfort zone...and she never would have expected the sexy, new fireman in town, who also happens to be her friend's older (much older) brother to volunteer to help. 
The chronic illness and the transplant representation hit so close to home for me and I felt like Maggie did such a beautiful job sharing that piece of the story. And the way her characters grow...it just keeps getting better and better. 

Fabulous Story & Listen🎧Swoon Worthy & Heartfelt!

It is great to be back in Maggie Gates’ Falls Creek for another fabulous small town romance novel and I loved this one as much as I loved the first, “What Hurts Us”. Both stories stand on their on own, but characters appear in each other’s books and knowing their backstories adds depth to the story, besides seeing them again is like seeing an old friend. Austin Hale, a firefighter, leaves Beaufort to move back to Falls Creek to be closer to his sister Beth who is pregnant and having problems with her ex. Leaving his home and job with the Beaufort Fire Department was difficult, and so is starting over in a new fire department, but he did and is adjusting. And then one of his sister’s friends catches his eye and his interest, despite the age difference. Caroline Tyree is a teacher and has had a lifetime of health woes, and her overprotective parents want her to come back home, but she is a fighter and is determined to make it on her own. At twenty-two years, she is the youngest of her friends and the most naïve, but he is making a list of resolutions and things she must do to make up for lost time. What was supposed to be a quiet weekend getaway turned out to be something completely different. A solo stay turned out to be a shared stay when only one cabin was available and with the winter storm, travel back home was not an option. I loved getting to know these two, thought they were great together and for each other. Caroline went through so much in her life, and while she may have been naïve in some ways, she was beyond her years in other ways. Austin is just swoon worthy, so sweet and caring, definitely one of a kind. I loved the complexity of the characters, all the layers of the story and how it all payed out. The writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. The story captivated me from start to end and has the perfect balance of drama, charm, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. Maggie Gates, thank you for another wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 

🎧📚🎧 Savannah Peachwood and Tor Thom did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life, humanizing them, giving each a voice that was fitting. I loved how they took their roles and made them their own, sounding believable and just as I imagined the characters would sound. Peachwood nailed it as Caroline, grasping every aspect of her personality, from her vulnerabilities to her strength and determination. Thom was just as fabulous as Austin, and did the same, completely nailing his caring and swoon worthiness. Both were equally amazing performing the roles of the secondary characters too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ voices and had you feeling them all. These two voice artists are entertaining storytellers and their performance elevates this already fantastic story to another level. Thank you for another fabulous listen.

cute read

This was a lovely read. It had the usual hallmarks I swoon over: OTTP MMC, smart FMC, great group of girlfriends. We also had the hilarious Brandie Jean, the nosy-well-meaning friend - who I loved.
Austin, a firefighter, is ever the bridesmaid never the bride and then he has to move to another town to help out his pregnant sister and he comes across the FMC, Caroline (a kindergarten teacher), who has lupus and was really sick most of her life so she's missed out on a lot of life and is struggling to show everyone she's on her own... they get snowed in at an inn together and sparks fly... from there they have a fairly mature secret relationship until they finally get a proper push in the right direction.
Really, the only thing I didn't love was the age gap -- I understand its necessity in setting up one of the personal hurdles they have to overcome - but in general, I think trying to do age gap well is really hard and it just didn't land all that well here (I think because she was supposed to be both inexperienced and really mature but it just felt -- icky). I still really liked the book - I just ignored that part of it.
Also, Beth (MMC's pregnant sister) was not my fav (I totally get why and I'm sure she'll be redeemed in her book but...) I just felt like she overreacted to everything that he did... was he a bit overbearing ... probably. Did she have to be an absolute TwtWffL about it? No!
As for the narration: It was really good. Savannah Peachwood nails the small town girl vibe and I love it. Tor Thom's deep voice also helped to bring the character to life.